1856 Burritt / Huntington Map of Constellations in April, May, and June

Title

Description

This rare hand colored map of the stars was engraved W. G. Evans of New York for Burritt's 1856 edition of the Atlas to Illustrate the Geography of the Heavens. It represents the Northern night sky in the months of June, May, and April. Constellations are drawn in detail and include depictions of the Zodiacal figures the stars are said to represent. Included on this chart are Leo (the Lion), Virgo (the Virgin), Bootes, Hydra (the Snake) and the Centaur, among others. Chart is quartered by lines indicating the Solstitial and Equinoctial Colures. This map, like all of Burritt's charts, is based on the celestial cartographic work of Pardies and Doppelmayr. Dated and copyrighted: 'Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1856 by F. J. Huntington in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the United States in the Southern District of N. York.'

Cartographer

Elijah Hinsdale Burritt (April 20, 1794 - January 3, 1838) was an American astronomer and mathematician active in Connecticut. Burritt is often called 'the forgotten astronomer.' Burrito was born to an impoverished family and was initially apprenticed as a blacksmith. After an injury on the job, Burritt turned to astronomy with a passion. He studied at Williams Collage, from which he graduated in 1816. After graduation he moved to Milledgeville, then capital of Georgia. He bought at local schools for several years but, being a northerner, began to feel uncomfortable as his 'yankee attitudes' alienated him from his peers. He returned to Connecticut in 1829 and turned his parents home into an observatory to pursue his love of astronomy. Burrito then organized a group of 30 settlers to relocate to the newly formed Republic of Texas. There Burritt and many of his fellow settlers contracted Yellow Fever and died. His seminal work, Burritt's Geography of the Heavens was published from Hartford, Connecticut, from approximately 1833. The work, while primarily educational in nature, was the seminal American geography of the period. Much of the nomenclature they developed, especially regarding the visible stars and constellations of the Southern Hemisphere, is still in use today. The Atlas itself consisted of eight charts depicting the Heavens seasonally and hemispherically. Constellations were depicted figurally though only the most important stars were noted. The Geography of the Heavens was the last decorative Celestial reference in the 19th century. Burrit's Geography was among the most prized possessions of fantasy / horror writer H.P. Lovecraft who wrote:

"My maternal grandmother, who died when I was six, was a devoted lover of astronomy, having made that a specialty at Lapham Seminary, where she was educated; and though she never personally showed me the beauties of the skies, it is to her excellent but somewhat obsolete collection of astronomical books that I owe my affection for celestial science. Her copy of Burritt's Geography of the Heavens is today the most prized volume in my library." (to Maurice W. Moe, 1 January 1915)

As a side note Elijah Burritt is the brother of the more famous Elihu Burritt, who was known for his philanthropic and social work.

Source

Burritt, E., Atlas Designed to Illustrate Burritt's Geography of the Heavens, 1856 edition.

Condition

Very Good condition. Minor edge damage near top left margin. Minor overall age toning and some spotting. Blank on verso.

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